FAQ

Hospice provides emotional, medical, and spiritual support for people who are terminally ill. The goal is to improve patient’s quality of life by making them comfortable in their homes. The focus of care is on symptom management rather than curing the disease. Hospice helps families cope with the care of their ill family member and acts as an advocate during this time of illness.

86% of the American public would choose to die at home.

9 out of 10 patients with a life limiting diagnosis would benefit from a consultation with Hospice to compliment the care of their own physician.

Ask your physician or call Hospice of South Texas. You can assist your physician by indicating that you want to be told when and if it is time to consider hospice. You can also tell your physician that you are ready to consider hospice. Call us early. We will help you find the best resources to meet your specific needs.

Hospice is available to all terminally ill individuals and their families. Although the majority of patients admitted into hospice have conditions related to cancer, other frequent admission diagnoses include heart and lung disease, AIDS, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and ALS.

Terminal prognosis, certified by attending physician and hospice medical director, of six (6) months or less if disease takes its normal course. Patient no longer seeking curative treatment; has chosen palliative care.

Patients and families are a vital part of the decision-making process. Hospice of South Texas works to help patients maintain control of their lives whenever possible, enabling people with a terminal illness to make decisions about how and where they want to spend the rest of their lives.

We offer palliative care rather than curative treatment, using sophisticated methods of pain and symptom control that allow the patient to live as fully and as comfortably as possible.

We emphasize quality, rather than the length of life. Hospice helps the patient to make the most of each hour and each day of remaining life by providing comfort and relief from pain and suffering.

We care for the person, not the disease, focusing on the care, not a cure. The hospice movement stresses human values that go beyond the physical needs of the patient. Physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual issues are addressed. We affirm life and regard dying as a normal process.

We provide on-call availability, 24 hours a day, allowing the patient and family to reach the nurse at any time, night or day, seven days a week.

Hospice provides continuing contact and support for family and friends for a year following the death of a loved one.

Hospice of South Texas focuses on the hope that every day will be the best it can be rather than that the disease will be cured. The goal of hospice is to ease the suffering of the terminally ill and their families and friends.

Yes. Hospice care will be discontinued when patient and family, physician and/or members of the hospice team decide hospice is no longer necessary or appropriate. When hospice initiates the discharge, every effort is made to resolve any problems and assist in referring the patient to appropriate facilities or agencies. Patients are always welcome back on hospice services when the time comes and when appropriate.

Yes. Hospice encourages participation by the patient’s attending physician in coordinating the medical care of the patient through ongoing communications between the attending physician and the Hospice of South Texas team.

Since 1985, community support from grants, memorials, gifts, contributions, and volunteers have made it possible for Hospice of South Texas to provide full services to patients and families regardless of ability to pay.

An important source of financial support for Hospice of South Texas are donations from friends and loved ones of former patients. Another is the community support of fundraising activities. Churches, clubs and businesses contribute as well to help Hospice of South Texas provide non-funded services. Donations are made to: Hospice of South Texas, 605 E. Locust Ave., Victoria, Texas 77901.

Hospice may provide continuous care in the home for patients who cannot be moved, but whose acute symptoms require intense monitoring or treatment. Continuous care shall be determined by the interdisciplinary group and needs approval by the Executive Director or Director of Nursing due to staff availability. The care must be ordered by the physician and for shot time frames only/and until the crisis is resolved.

The hospice patient also receives all prescribed medications for his life-threatening illness and for the alleviation of distressing symptoms. These drugs are paid for by Hospice of South Texas at 100%.

Exceptions: Medications for prior conditions other than the life-threatening illness (e.g. prior heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.) and over the counter medications are not covered.